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lyrics for living 9 (grant us wisdom, grant us courage)

The world is a mess.

This virus of religious extremism is spreading, with Turkey and Bangladesh being among the newer arrivals to our headlines (& let's not forget those who never receive that focus!). Poverty. It is difficult to see how the global refugee crisis can be resolved. Inequality. The blind spot in the USA over guns is unfathomable. Polarization. Democracy seems to be decaying, less able to produce leaders that can be admired. Big money buys big power - everywhere. Over-consumption. The popularity of Trump in the USA, Brexit in the UK, and Pauline Hanson in Australia all seems so odd. What on earth is going on?

Right now, the mess seems to be accompanied by a peculiar brand of badness, madness and sadness.

In recent months I have found myself singing, repeatedly, a little refrain that I have not sung in public worship for decades:

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage - for the facing of this hour.

Wisdom. Courage. At an experiential level these qualities became so real to me when I started as the principal of a seminary. It surprised me, after just a few weeks, how much wisdom and courage was needed every day. In more recent years, when interceding for others, it has become commonplace to plead for wisdom and courage. It is like a default setting (along with grace and patience). So many intercessory situations come back to these two. And now, as I look out into our world, seeing and feeling its mess, this couplet is still with me.So I journeyed back to the original hymn. Written in 1930, in the midst of the Depression and between the two World Wars, by Harry Emerson Fosdick (a theologically liberal leader whose profile, from a base in New York City, was not dissimilar in scope to today's evangelical New Yorker, Timothy Keller). Notwithstanding Kevin deYoung's stinging criticism of this as a 'hymn not worth singing' because it has a theologically dubious line in it - I think it is worth singing, with a little edit of the words. Let's take a look and listen:

God of grace and God of glory,

on thy people pour thy power;

crown the ancient church's story;

bring its bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

for the facing of thls hour,

for the facing of thls hour.

This opening stanza takes me back to John Stott's Sermon on the Mount. The book is not with me, but in the section on salt/light, he says something like "when you see the world's mess, don't get stuck into the world, rather ask 'where is the church?' because it is meant to be the salt and light that stops the rot and shows the way". To me it seems that 'on thy people pour your power ... bring its bud to glorious flower' is exactly how we should be praying.

Lo! the hosts of evil round us,

scorn thy Christ, assail his ways!

From the fears that long have bound us,

free our hearts to love and praise.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

for the living of these days,

for the living of these days.

Again - so poignant. Evil encircling us? Fear binding us? Christ scorned and assailed? These are the deep things which paralyse us. It is freedom that we need, a freedom to love and to praise.

Heal thy children's warring madness,

bend our pride to thy control;

shame our wanton, selfish gladness,

rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

lest we miss thy kingdom's goal,

lest we miss thy kingdom's goal.

If we want an exposition of the mess, this verse captures it - does it not?! There is a healing, a bending, and a shaming that needs to be done at so many levels and with so many people (starting with me!).

Set our feet on lofty places;

gird our lives that they may be

armoured with all Christlike graces,

pledged to set all captives free.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

that we fail not them nor thee,

that we fail not them nor thee!

It is the change in mood that impacts me here. The opening upbeat prayer to the 'God of grace and the God of glory' is followed by two dreary verses that plumb the depths of the mess. Nibbling at lament. But here the eyes, and voices, are lifted again in hope-filled steeling prayer. I love it. They give me the words I want at this moment in the hymn: setting and girding, armouring and pledging.

Save us from weak resignation

to the evils we deplore;

let the search for thy salvation

be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,

serving thee whom we adore,

serving thee whom we adore.

Together with Kevin deYoung, my theological knickers could get in a twist over 'let the search for thy salvation' - but why reject an entire hymn when altering a couple of words will suffice? It seems a bit silly. For example, I could live with 'let the Joy of thy salvation be our glory evermore'.

As with most of the hymns in this series on 'lyrics for living', the issue is more about finding a tune that works in a contemporary setting. 'C'mon musicians - can you do something with this one?' Here is the best version I could find (one which isn't drowned out by a blaring organ ... not my favourite instrument, it must be said ... sorry, Dad and Grandpa, who were both organists):

How I'd love to wake up tomorrow, go to church, be greeted with this hymn in the service - and just 'let it rip' from deep within me, singing my little heart out. But it hasn't happened once in the last 30 years and so it ain't gonna happen tomorrow. nice chatting